Advantages

Disadvantages

The return to Johto was a much anticipated effort by Nintendo, well deserving of praise.

You'll reminisce while also experiencing surprising changes and enhanced graphics that bring the world of Pokemon to life.

During gameplay you encounter a programmer's sprite who tells you "We are remaking an old game, but this is quite a challenge. Old fans would not want us to mess with their good memories...but there is no point in just redoing the same thing, right? We are working toward something that brings back memories, yet is also completely new!"

Remember way back in Yellow where Pikachu followed you around and had moods that changed based on its mood, what you feed it or where you are? That's back but now ANY Pokemon in your 1st party position will follow you around outside of battle. Speaking to them shows their mood and sometimes they'll even find useful items.

While the basic skeleton of the game is the same, things like traps, puzzles and even gyms have been redesigned to provide a refreshing challenge.

The evil crime syndicate, Team Rocket, returns like in the original games with a bold plan to gain control of everything in their attempt to stir the former Boss, Giovanni, out of his self proclaimed exile.

Returning features include the Vs Recorder where you can save and share battle videos via Wi-Fi, the radio channels, phone, contests, advanced breeding, planting berries, daily events, etc.

New features include the Pokewalker and Pokeathlon. The Pokewalker is a device which allows you to transfer 1 Pokemon into it and as you walk, it gains experience. You accumulate watts which can be used to activate features like a dowsing machine to find items and also to encounter wild Pokemon which can be captured and sent back to the game. With Wi-Fi events, you can download new areas like the Yellow Forest where you may encounter rare Pikachu with special moves like Fly or Surf. In the Pokeathlon, you participate in various events like obstacle courses and guide your Pokemon with quick strokes or taps of the stylus. Each Pokemon has performance rankings, but using acorns you can make special juices to enhance their Pokeathlon stats similar to Pokeblocks and Pokemon Contests.

Just like in the original GSC games from GB, you can collect 16 badges between Johto and Kanto as opposed to just 8 in all other Pokemon games.

Online play is as exciting as ever. You can play mini-games, voice chat, battle, trade or text chat with pre-approved responses. Unfortunately, the Global Trade Station which allows players all over the world to trade with each other is overloaded with illegitimate Pokemon made with popular cheating devices like Action Replay. Hacked Pokemon can get players disqualified from tournaments and some in-game features can prevent their use (like in Pokemon Battle Revolution) for Wii. There's a lot of dishonesty that comes with random online play which is why you should primarily exchange friend codes with people you know personally.

The game is compatible with Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Battle Revolution, and the Ranger games as well as Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, LeafGreen, & FireRed for migration purposes. Unlike the other DS games, migration is now unlimited. Before, you could only transfer over 6 monsters per day. Now you can send 6 over as many times as you'd like in a day.

Special Pokemon like the Spiky Eared Pichu cannot be traded outside of SoulSilver or HeartGold.

You can capture a massive amount of Pokemon in this game. Legends like Mewtwo, Dialga, Palkia, Groudon, & Kyogre can be encountered via Wi-Fi gifts which, when traded into HG or SS, unlock special paths and events.

All in all, there's so much to do in this game, you'll keep coming back for more. With the 5th generation months away for a Japanese release, it'll probably come to the US and UK late in 2011. They'll be compatible with these games. You won't have to worry about that awkward situation when the 3rd generation came out and had zero compatibility with the older games. Of course, they'll probably introduce so many new elements, your strong Pokemon now may not be as effective in the 5th gen! Good luck! Oh and if you're interested in learning more about Pokémon Black and White, go to http://www.pokemon-sp.jp/top.html

Advantages

Disadvantages

I wasn't familiar at all with the Thrusmaster brand. I was skeptical because I have never had any luck with 3rd party accessories outside of Logitech products for my PS2. I did some online research, checking various places and saw that the overwhelming majority of customers were very satisfied. This controller is basically your cheaper alternative to the wireless Wavebird controller for GC and Wii.

The control has a sleek, clean and simple design. Its white with some wavy blue ridges I guess for better grip. Its pretty small though, so it will take time to adjust to if you're used to the Gamecube controller. The overall design and button layout is identical to the Playstation controller - 4 shoulder buttons, directional pad, 2 joysticks, rumble, etc. They give you 2 Z buttons I guess just to maintain that look of symmetry. You also have a turbo mode feature.

Response is spot on - instant. No lag/time delay. So regardless of the type of game, your commands will go through as they should.

The controller functions on 3 AAA batteries but luckily has an off switch to conserve battery life when not in use.

It comes with a signal transmitting device that goes into a controller port on your Gamecube or Wii. Its got a pretty sweet range too. Maybe like double that of the Wiimote's range.

You can use it for any Gamecube game or Wii game that supports GC or classic controllers - including Wiiware and Virtual Console downloadable titles.

The freedom of being completely wireless is its main appeal. Wavebird's are hard to find and the classic controller for Wii hooks up to your Wiimote to work so you'd have a wire to contend with. The miniature size and triple A batteries can be a little annoying but overall for its price - £17.26 on Amazon - its a good bargain for anyone looking to save some money on a high quality controller.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

I noticed when I tried this candy for the first time is that it is indeed sour but not cringe-inducing sour. Its just your traditional Skittle dusted with some kind of sour powder. If you bite right in and chew, its a subtle sour taste but you'd think you're just eating a regular Skittle. It comes assorted with the flavors: Grape, lime, lemon, orange, & strawberry.

I was curious to know just what natural ingredients it had since it boasts there's both natural and artificial flavors. They put apple juice in 'em. Citrus too. The package claims that its an excellent source of vitamin C although I doubt you'd really consider this a health food. Getting 45% of your daily value of vitamin C from candy has its drawbacks.. like rotten teeth! The packaging also boasts that its gluten-free and gelatin-free.

I doubt you can be considered a responsible parent to have your kids snack on this daily. Not only that but you'll just end up with hyperactive kids with a sugar rush.. Plus I wonder just how good for us all these weird named other ingredients are. Its that deceptive packaging that may confuse consumers!

When I was younger, I'd probably be addicted to this stuff but now that I'm older I tend to avoid things too sour or sweet. My tastes have evolved and I seem to prefer more filling, chewy candy like Twizzlers. Overall I'd say this is a nice candy to treat yourself to on occaision but it lacks that factor that would make you prefer it over something else. I can see me easily ignoring it on the shelf at a store and picking up something else.

Advantages

Disadvantages

The Bleach DS games of the past were of the fighting genre which I found difficult to adapt to because of the shape of the DS, so I welcomed Bleach: The 3rd Phantom's dynamic change to a strategy RPG, however its flaws quickly become apparent and may turn off all but the most diehard fans.

You select between a male or female in a pair of twin siblings to be your main character. They are recruited as Soul Reapers after some berserk evil spirit tries to kill them. In terms of storyline, without trying to give too much away.. you're given a glimpse into the past of many characters and a period when a great evil entity who is able to command Hollows and is bent on eliminating every Soul Reaper resurfaces far more powerful than before. There's a point where things change up and you find yourself in modern times with Ichigo and his friends like in the anime.

One of the major downfalls is that you're bombarded with HEAVY storyline. I mean you'll probably go 15-20 minutes of endless boring dialogue before and after a battle. The battles themselves are relatively simple however slow. Options are layered into one another so its annoying to get to things. Rather than the typical strategy RPG where the in-game sprites attack one another, you enter a cutscene mode with some light voice acting which you can't skip where you watch the characters attack, counter or defend.

The stat system gives you full customization - you decide how to strengthen your character and what new skills and abilities they should learn. They also threw in things like support attacks and stat boosts if you're adjacent to an ally in battle. You can do things like enter the Bankai state, perform kunoso on spirits to send them from the human world to the spirit world, raise spiritual pressure for more power, etc.

You'll encounter all the characters from the popular anime & manga series. If you're not too familiar with the Bleach franchise, no worries, because this game introduces you to people, places and terms. I've only see a few episodes of the anime - it was really the games that got me interested in the series so I was afraid I'd be totally confused but they really break things down as you play.

If you play for an hour, you'll probably spend 40 minutes reading or desperately skipping text then maybe 20 or less in a battle which is only drawn out due to cutscenes and annoying "Player's Turn" or "Enemy's Turn" announcements slowly sliding across the screen. You can enter free battles to level up your characters and save in the middle of a battle.

If you're a Bleach fan who really wants this game, I'd say just wait for a price drop in a few months. No point in forking out big bucks on a game that's going to leave you passing out from boredom every time you turn it on. This is too predictable.

Overall, I'd say you're better off with a game like Final Fantasy Tactics, Luminous Arc, Advance Wars, or Disgaea if you're a strategy RPG fan with a DS. They'll provide more of a challenge at a lower cost and have a better balance that keeps you interested. Bleach: The 3rd Phantom just doesn't satisfy your needs as a gamer, its like reading a dull book with visual elements.

Advantages

Disadvantages

I'm not sure about you guys, but anything that fuses chocolate and peanut butter is always welcome in my book. Case and point - these delicious Reese's Cups.

I've been eating them for as long as I can remember and they're definitely in my top 5 favorite candies. This was one of the items I'd always dig for first as a kid returning from trick or treating on Halloween.

Soft milk chocolate cups with creamy peanut butter in the center.. The 2 compliment each other incredibly. Its a match made in heaven. It goes great with milk too. They come in a 2 pack so you can share it with a friend or just revisit that spectacular place this takes you to while you savor the flavor.

From what I understand in the UK you guys get 3 per package, but here in the US there's just 2. Well, its really sweet and we're already suffering with out of control obesity so I guess 2 of these really sweet cups are enough for us!

Of course its junk food so you don't want to overindulge but every now and then its a satisfying treat. The peanut butter filling stays the same but you can buy it in milk chocolate, white chocolate or recently introduced - dark chocolate. They also come in bite size or miniature cups as well. Its over 200 calories per serving, so clearly a guilty pleasure for your sweet tooth.

Advantages

Disadvantages

I think its safe to assume that Lindor Truffles are the latest fancy chocolatey taste sensation of international proportions.

Each spherical chocolate is individually wrapped and will definitely satisfy a sweet tooth or get compliments from guests. We bought some over the holidays and it was a big hit with our relatives. My cousins who are picky eaters and health savvy couldn't even resist the delicious chocolates.

The hard shell exterior melts in your mouth and the velvety filling which can be various things like caramel or peanut butter creates a fusion of flavors that excite your taste buds and forces you to grab another one immediately!

The downside is that each serving is 220 calories so like all sweets, eat in moderation or you'll get fat! You can buy individual flavors or assorted. So far I've tried milk, dark, white, peanut butter, and 60% extra dark.

Two thumbs up from me. If you haven't tried this yet, what are you waiting for?! Go buy it now! Slightly pricier that some alternatives but this is definitely a more luxurious brand over the others. I'm sold for life!

Advantages

Disadvantages

I've always been a fan of the fighting game genre but often times found I got discouraged by the unfriendly controls and didn't put enough time and effort into mastering the controls so my skills were pathetic in higher difficulty modes or against other players. Tatsunoko vs Capcom changes all that. It merges the complex aspects of a fast paced Japanese fighting game that will appeal to hardcore gamers but also the easy control scheme of a game like DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi.

Basically people of any skill level can jump right into this game and pull off wicked combos with very little effort. You can really learn quickly here which is why I think this is a great game for people formerly intimidated by the genre. The game is compatible with the Wiimote (either with the nunchuk which makes the controls insanely easy or by itself sideways), GC Controller, and Wii Classic Controller. Even with the Wiimote which I've been using, the controls are pretty solid and easy to handle. I thought they'd be the worst of all the options but I find that I can barely do any basic combos if I try with the GC controller. The Wiimote + nunchuk control settings seem to merge a lot of functions into a few buttons so you can execute fancy moves effortlessly.

I read some stuff online where people were skeptical about the game since 1/2 the roster was relatively unknown to players outside of Japan but I don't really see that as a valid complaint. I'm in my 20s so I at least know about the G Force characters from the Tatsunoko side but even though I don't know the rest, the game is still awesome and I'm motivated to do research on them. I think in the end this game'll deliver a big boost to the Tatsunoko anime franchise because it introduces all these characters to a massive new audience.

You've got a huge arsenal of characters to select from, plenty of unlockables (art, stages, other characters, new character colors) and Wi-Fi compatibility to challenge other players and see how you rank against the rest of the TvC community.

If you pre-ordered the game it included a sealed pack of 8 limited edition TvC cards which is already selling for a high price on eBay.

Wii fighting games have been one disaster after another with Super Smash Bros Brawl being the only exception but now TvC being a Wii-only game, really throws in a much needed excellent game for the genre.

You won't be disappointed at all with this game. I've been playing with Chun Li and Ryu and am totally addicted to this game. Can't wait to unlock Zero from the MegaMan X series. If you have a Wii and like fighting games like the Marvel vs Capcom series, you NEED this game.

Advantages

Disadvantages

For those of you unfamiliar with the Harvest Moon series, its a long running, addictive farm simulation game. Save the Homeland is the first Harvest Moon game released for the PS2 back in 2001. Although you still get a rewarding experience, its very limited compared to what long time fans of the series expect.

In Save the Homeland, you play a young man who's grandfather just passed away. Gramps just happened to be a farmer and you return to the farm and find out that the entire town is going to be torn down and made into an amusement park unless you do something. So its up to you to maintain grandpa's farm and also figure out a way to save the town within a year.

The graphics are cartoonish but engaging. Compared to the previous games which were mostly handhelds or on older systems, Save the Homeland looks great! 3D character models, buildings, and crisp colors really help draw you in.

The basics to any Harvest Moon game are still alive. You interact with other characters and build relationships - one hand washes the other. You're a farmer so you're buying seeds and working the soil - planting those seeds, watering the plants daily, tilling soil to grow even more. You earn profit from the harvest you grow which allows you to do other things like expanding your farm. At the same time though, you don't want to overwork your young farmer because that could lead to exhaustion and collapse. You also have to take into consideration things like the weather and how that would affect things.

Money and materials you find while foraging help you pay for improvements on tools to increase work productivity. You can also go fishing, and add various animals to your farm like chickens, cows, a dog & a horse. Taking care of the animals by feeding them or showing them attention helps them to trust you and also allows you to do things like collect eggs or milk. You can buy other things like medicine, a dog house, a kitchen to cook meals in and more.

Now despite this game looking great and being fun, like I said before, it does lack some major aspects you'd expect in a Harvest Moon game. You can't obtain sheep, the town doesn't host festivals with games and events to participate in, you cannot pursue a female with the intent of getting married and the available crops to plant are more limited than in other games. This is a relatively quick game since it only lasts 1 game year.

At best this is more of a intro game to anyone who wants to try out the Harvest Moon series. You'll be satisfied but the game is pretty quick. It has multiple endings for you to strive for which is incentive to replay but it'll eventually get boring and predictable. Its cheap but if you're looking for the real Harvest Moon experience, don't go for Save the Homeland. This is more leisurely than most games in the series. The newer ones on GameCube and Wii seem to go on infinitely so you'll probably get tons more hours of play and diversity to keep you busy for as long as you're still addicted (which will be a very long time).

Advantages

Disadvantages

Digimon World was the first 3D Digimon game for the PS1. Despite the game having some fun elements, it is overwhelmingly plagued with annoying, time consuming and repetitive activities which will frustrate players and make it difficult to fully enjoy the experience.

Digimon World is a game inspired by the popular anime series. You play as a young tamer who has been sucked into the Digital World which is in peril and in need of him to raise a powerful Digimon ally to bring order in the chaos. You raise your Digimon partner from infancy and train it in the gym, feed it when its hungry, put it to sleep, take it to the bathroom, and scold or praise it to strengthen it with hopes it'll Digivolve into a new more powerful monster. You then take your Digimon out to battle wild Digimon or to complete various events and beat bosses.

Battles are in real time but have RPG elements like parameters (HP, MP, etc). You can cheer on your Digimon or if its intelligence statistic is very high, you can have more control over its battle performance. During the fight the tamer stands out on the side and can throw items to heal his partner during a match.

The downfall is that Digimon have a very short lifespan - they only survive for a few hours before they die and are reborn as an egg - then you have to begin the entire training process all over again! Digimon can only go up to the ultimate level in this game, which is difficult enough to obtain but they leave out mega-level - I assume because at the time it came out, mega-level Digimon had not appeared in the anime series yet.

Some of the enemy Digimon are under a trance causing them to be evil and when you defeat them, you free them and they return to the main city in the game and set up various things that benefit you - like a Centaurumon clinic to treat a Digimon who's afflicted with an illness.

The game is fun but limited in that you're constantly running back and forth, retraining your partner, and most of the time is spent hoping you can actually train the Digimon properly and get it to Digivolve into something useful. Its very exhausting and item prices are ridiculous as well.

It offers a 2P versus mode where you can save Digimon partners you've had and use them to battle friends and tesk your skills.

Its a decent game and definitely one to try if you're a Digimon fan. Sadly though, despite there being so many new Digimon games, almost all of them have major flaws. You'd think the creators would learn from the past and simply improve and fix things but they always seem to try an entirely new approach which ultimately fails to provide a truly satisfying Digimon experience.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

This is my chance to let off some steam on stuff that just agitates me in everyday life.

[ Urinals ]Its always disgusting to go to the bathroom and see a huge pool of urine on the floor in front of the urinals. There's a urinal cake for a reason! Aim for it! I wear my fancy dress shoes and go to the bathroom with an engorged bladder only to find myself splashing around in some gross puddle of crusty diabetic liquid waste. Its as if people are having a seizure or something while peeing. There's no effort at all at using a urinal. You just stand there. They even flush automatically these days!

[ Crowded Trains ]Nothing like cramming into a train like sardines only to have some ugly person with gingivitis exhaling their gut wrenching breath on you. Mouth breathers, man.. geez. Buy some Colgate! Then there's always the person who wants to be obnoxious and try to get comfortable by pushing and squeezing other people into smaller corners so they can read their papers. And there's always the one dude who farts one of those silent buy deadly odors that lingers for a long time and everyone is scared to look around because others might think you'r responsible and trying to see other people's reactions to your stench.

[ GameStop ]I've had to return defective used games several times and its annoying. They need a policy to check games before they take them. And what's with the trade in values? I mean if you buy a game that just came out, they'll give you like $10 for it then turn around and sell it for like $45. eBay's the way to go people.

[ Big Name Pizza Places ]Pizza Hut, no offense.. your food's good but the prices are ridiculous for your tiny portions. I order a large pizza and it comes looking like a medium from regular pizza shop's around the corner. Its not filling, heavily greasy, and the amazing deals really aren't that great either. I'm a growing man! I work like a slave for my money and I'm not spending it out on something that's not going to fill me! McDonald's dollar menu for the win! And don't get me started on Dominoes. Here in the US they're one nasty company. SOme of their employees put a video online about the gross things they do to food there. I'm not spending big bucks on tiny stuff that's people are putting crap into.

[ Infomercials ]I'm happy the Ped Egg turned out to be an international sensation but in general infomercials are just incredibly annoying. I avoid buying TV products but at the same time somehow the commercials have a hypnotic effect that gets you interested and everything. And some companies up and run after they get a few purchases. Total scams. My mom once ordered a vacuum and got a bill for 2 - she called to cancel and they acknowledged then the company vanished off the face of the earth, robbing her. And all the get rich quick garbage that claims its totally free to start - the moment you call the number you're hit with a 1 time fee to join. I thought it was free? Doesn't end there - what about the instructional DVD? That's free but you have to pay shipping which turns out to be like $30. Are they mailing it in a gold envelope? Its sad to know people can legally scam others and make huge piles of money.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Pokemon Stadium 2 is definitely my favorite 3D Pokemon game. Like its predecessor, the game's main focus is on battling however this game offers much more. Its compatible not only with Red, Blue and Yellow, but also the 2nd generation games - Gold, Silver and Crystal. The game brings 251 Pokemon to live in vibrant graphics and definitely will put your skills as a trainer to the test.

With the N64 transfer pak you can store Pokemon or items or take a break from the tiny Gameboy screen and play the games right on your television.

The game provides multiple battle divisions - restricting you by factors like level or species. Each division consists of 8 matches which increase in difficulty. The one negative is that it can get boring and very time consuming to clear the divisions however the spoils definitely help create incentive to keep trying. Some prizes include unlocking Celebi and Mew as rental Pokémon, rare monsters with limited edition moves like Farfetch'd with Baton Pass or Gligar with Earthquake & the ability to speed up the GB player up to 4x faster than normal play.

Let's say your team isn't quite cutting it in the various challenges - rental Pokémon are pretty weak so you'll have to rely on teams you raised yourself in your games. There is a special training mode called Earl's Pokémon Academy where you get step by step instructions and tips to building strategy, setting up a team, and learning more advanced battle tactics. You can then turn around and use what you learned to crush the trainers in whatever divisions were giving you trouble!

Mini-games return in Stadium 2 and you'll be very satisfied. They're very creative and you can use Pokémon in your game pak to play - such as Scyther, Scizor and Pinser in a game where timing and precision is needed to cut logs. There's a game where you can play as Mr. Mime and its like a psychic soccer. There's a ton of mini-games and you'll be addicted once you start.

Another great thing about Stadium 2 is that its one of those powerful cartridges that allows you to save right on it as opposed to using memory cards.

But now let's discuss the negatives - since the game is pretty old at this point - its totally outdated with the new generations. Also, the Gameboy games all function on a built-in battery which is necessary to save your game - and since its been over a decade now, most batteries are dying and people are losing all their saved data - meaning you might not get to enjoy Stadium 2 as well now as in the past. Luckily there is a way to store and save teams onto Stadium 2's memory so that you can use the team on Stadium 2 whenever you want, even without the GB cartridge attached. And since you can store monsters in Stadium's boxes, if you decide to replace your battery for Yellow or Gold or whichever game you have, you can always transfer your favorite champs back.

Who doesn't love N64? If you're tired of modern games draining out your wallets for mediocre games, go for the older games! They're pretty cheap at this point and you'll enjoy them. If you're a pokéfreak, then Stadium 2 is definitely for you!

Advantages

Disadvantages

Once again Activision and Marvel capitalize on the success of the X-Men Legends franchise and this time launched an even bigger project which in the end falls short of what I had expected. It is available for PS2, PSP, XBOX, and Wii.

This time heroes from all across the Marvel universe assemble to take on the Masters of Evil, a huge group of supervillains led by Dr. Doom. You can play as characters like Spider Man, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Ms Marvel, Captain America, Nick Fury, Blade, The Fantastic Four, and tons of others.

Its an action RPG however unlike the X-Men Legends games you can't customize stats or equip multiple items. When you level up, your characters stat growth is controlled and predetermined by the game. With cash you can upgrade your costumes which have various stat benefits - each character has 4 costumes you can unlock - usually outfits they've worn through various generations of their series. Each provide him or her with a different set of skill boosts. When you do level up, you earn points that strengthen various techniques which you can use in battle. You can also remove points from techniques and put them into others incase you wish to change up your strategy or realize the move you previously had wasn't as effective as you thought.

Combat is relatively easy to get a handle on but battles are extremely chaotic at times and you may have some trouble early on trying to make sense of it and finding yourself. Basic physical attacks can be performed in various combo strings however they're relatively weak and require you to exhaust yourself to pummel your opponent to death, so you'll find yourself relying heavily on special techniques which are more flashy and appealing and also target groups of opponents since you're constantly being charged at by hordes of enemies. There's such a variety of skills to select which keeps the combat system interesting - and being able to switch to anyone in your team of 4 helps you out depending on the situation you're in.

The game really plunges you deep into the Marvel universe, giving you insight to the history and legacy of each hero and it ties everything together quite well. If you're not too familiar with the comics or animated shows, you'll really learn a lot from a game like this. Consider it Marvel propoganda - once you play it, you'll be addicted to all of their heroes!

There are some situations where depending on the character you're using, you may get more dialogue in the story - for instance in the battle against Mysterio, who's a villain from the Spider Man series, if you play as Spider Man, they'll exchange some additional words - so that's pretty cool since it adds a little more to the experience.

The graphics are pretty well done however are mediocre in comparison to those on the XBOX 360 version, however they're still impressive. Setting up online play for PS2 sounds confusing, I never even attempted to do so but from what I hear its not a very stable or fast connection, so online multiplayer is a useless feature for this PS2 version. You also miss out on other cool tidbits like downloadable content like new characters that are accessible to the XBOX version. Since the game is pretty cheap now, if you haven't played it, I would recommend you go for the 360 version over PS2. There is a sequel out now however it apparently didn't do as well ratings wise so while you wait for that price to go down, consider picking up this one! You won't be disappointed!

Advantages

Disadvantages

Buu's Fury is the conclusion to the Legacy of Goku series for GBA which finishes off the Z series with the Buu Saga. You start out as Goku in the other world with King Kai preparing for the big tournament up there then control Gohan in the Saiyaman Saga - so it doesn't really skip on any action from the anime series. Players will find several new, more interactive features however in terms of difficulty, you won't experience much of a challenge in this game. I mean, you'd actually have to put effort into trying to lose. I doubt that's going to deter you from enjoying it though if you're a DBZ fanatic like myself.

Buu's Fury introduces more RPG elements, now giving you access to either finding items like a boots, martial arts gi's and other items and equipping them to your character for added effects - boosted stats or to earn more experience for instance. By defeating opponents, you can sometimes find items or just shop around in stores in various cities for items. Enemies often times drop zenie, the currency in the game, which you can accumulate to purchase equipment or curative items. In terms of curative items you have much more at your disposal in this game. The previous games were very limited with how many items you had and how much of each you had but in Buu's Fury you can stash away tons of items that restore HP or Ki - another reason why the game is incredible easy, but then again, the characters get so powerful in a short time that items are almost unnecessary.

Enemies give so much experience that your character easily levels up quickly. You earn 3 stat points per level which you must manually allocate to the 3 stats available. HP and Energy raise on their own and you control strength, power and endurance.

New creative skills have been added. For instance, in the beginning of the game as Goku, during the tutorial phase, you're given the opportunity to use instant transmission to obtain an item that is impossible to reach normally. By using the technique, you freely decide where you'd like to transport the character to and it can also be used in battle to strike several opponents.

The Buu Saga introduced fusions - so while you'll be able to control characters like Goten, Trunks, Vegeta, Goku, & Gohan, you can also fuse Goten and Trunks for instance to make Gotenks or Goku & Vegeta to create Vegito or Gogeta. Fusion can be performed by executing a series of commands/buttons - if you do it correctly, the fusion is a success.

You can freely roam about like in Legacy of Goku II and they even threw in a block function - although it wasn't needed in the previous games so this just seems like a useless feature now. They even throw in Broly and Janemba as part of the storyline but only advance the game by a few minutes at best.

If you're a DBZ fan, you'll love this game. I've been playing DBZ games for years now and while its pretty much the same thing being recycled over and over with fancier graphics or something, I'm still into it - however the lack of challenge might turn off older players. Also in total you'll probably play for 12 hours or so if you want to complete everything. Later on the game was re-released as a 2 in 1 with Dragon Ball GT Transformation, a GBA game about the GT series but I don't really consider it a bargain since Transformation was a pitiful game. Buu's Fury is going for a little under $10 now, so if you still enjoy GBA games or have a DS or DS Lite, it might be a fun game to pass the time while you wait for the next new DBZ game that's inevitable!

Advantages

Disadvantages

After the disaster of a game that was Legacy of Goku, it seems like Atari decided they'd actually put effort into the sequel and believe me, Legacy of Goku II is lightyears beyond its predecessor in every aspect. If you're a DBZ fan, this game will definitely satisfy you.

Legacy of Goku II continues where the first game left off, after the defeat of Freeza at the hands of super saiyan Goku. The main focus of the game is the Cell Saga so you'll be battling the evil androids but there are also other enemies like Cooler who you can find in side quests. In the first game, you had maybe 3 total hours of gameplay, in this, you'll probably be busy for around 20 hours or so.

You're actually allowed to play as different characters in this game and specific characters are needed in certain missions as well. So rather than just being Goku, you can also choose from Piccolo, Trunks, Vegeta, Gohan and Hercule. Everyone's got their own unique skills which gives you more incentive to play as them. Stages and enemies are much more diverse in this game as well. It takes much better advantage of GBA's capabilities - more vibrant colors, better character sprites, expansive, detailed environments, better sound and familiar music from the TV series, and so on. There are many destinations to roam about and you can go anywhere freely as you can now fly around the world map. There's even the ability to check other characters data for a brief bio on them or their stats if they're an enemy.

In terms of the battle system, its still action-RPG but revamped. The stats are more reasonable now and as you level up your growth is random for each stat. This can be a flaw because your characters can develop very poorly and struggle in the stages - but fortunately there are save points available throughout the game so you can easily save, level up, and if you're not satisfied with the stat growth, simply reset and try again. Each character has the basic physical attack but also numerous ki attack options and a stronger physical strike to choose from as well. You can transform into a super saiyan, however it drains you of ki energy if you remain in that form but it significantly boosts your stats like the damage you deal and how fast your character moves. You're able to carry much more items in this game and the inventory is well categorized and easy to sort through.

The story follows very closely with the anime series unlike the first game which was loaded with inaccuracies. There are also plenty of side-quests to give you more to do as well such as collecting the dragon balls, rare items, and more.

Considering its now worth just a couple of dollars, if you're a DBZ fan, I think its definitely something you should consider playing because you'll enjoy it. This game just has so much more character interaction, freedom and is much more solid than the first game although I think its one negative is that it can be a bit too easy at times.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Dragon Ball Z Legacy of Goku for GBA is a huge disappointment with far more flaws than positive features. Its an action-RPG game however overall it appears to be very cheaply made. In total, you're only going to clock in about 3 hours of total gameplay - so I truly feel pity on anyone who may have purchased this abomination when it first came out at full price. I don't even think you should buy it now even though its worth like $3!

The game follows Goku through a warped, brief and inaccurate journey from the arrival of his evil brother Raditz to the final showdown with Freeza on planet Namek. You can move about freely with the directional pad but the Goku only has 2 moves at his disposal at a time - punches or an energy attack like Solar Flare, Kame Hame Ha, or a basic ki blast. The stat system in this game is so unbalanced - as you level up your HP and Ki seem to rise extremely high yet it really doesn't reflect that in the game because the enemies are insanely powerful. The bulk of the game you spend trying to level up and survive just to be able to actually beat the enemies in a stage and advance on. You'll probably spend another 2 hours or so dying over and over again while trying to level up further just to make it through a stage. Item space is extremely limited and you'll find yourself desperately relying on them but also trying to conserve them since you're almost always up against some angry mob. In terms of boss fights, getting too close is a bad idea. The enemies are just way too strong so you'll probably find yourself trying to make distance and use energy blasts. Apparently though, if you move a certain distance, the enemy stops chasing you and you can just KO him from far away with no challenge at all.

You're given all kinds of ridiculous requests - like helping people find their missing child or pet. Goku's supposed to be rushing to Raditz to save his son! On Namek they make up a ridiculous event where you have to travel through some stupid temple. Its nothing like the DBZ experience you're expecting.

In the opening credits and in some parts of the game they show screenshots from the actual anime series - they're of such low quality and poor coloring that you'd think this game was put together by some punk fans. This game looks totally rushed - its as if they didn't realize the GBA had the capacity for doing so much more in terms of gameplay and graphics.

Do yourself a favor, if you're a DBZ fan like me, avoid this game at all costs! Maybe you collect the games.. listen, there's a special 2 in 1 game released that combines Legacy of Goku 1 and 2. LoG2 is far superior in EVERY aspect and is a much deeper, accurate and enjoyable experience which really makes this game look like a massive money making scam. Get that instead! This is the worst in the trilogy of the GBA DBZ action-RPGs!